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Oct 24

Explosive Devices Received by CNN and Others, in ‘Confirmed Coordinated Terror Attack’

Citizen safety alerts informed local users prior to evacuation

Citizen users live-streamed throughout the morning

Citizen’s mission is to Protect the World. Every day, we work hard building technology that empowers communities to protect each other.

At 10AM on Wednesday, October 24th, Citizen users near Columbus Circle in Midtown, New York City were notified of a ‘SUSPICIOUS PACKAGE AT TIME WARNER’, moments after law enforcement and NYPD’s COBRA (Chemical Ordnance, Biological and Radiological Awareness) team were called in to respond.

Just minutes earlier, a package containing a live explosive device was received by the mailroom of cable news network CNN, formally addressed to former-CIA director John Brennan.

This followed reports of similar-style package bombs sent to other political figures, including former Presidents Clinton and Obama, former Attorney General Eric Holder, and earlier in the week, billionaire philanthropist George Soros.

10 minutes after nearby Citizen users were alerted to the suspected package bomb, CNN offices were ordered to evacuate.

At 10:15AM, just as CNN employees were vacating the premises, Citizen raised the alert level and notified users within 2 miles of the incident. At 10:30AM, the notification radius was expanded to 4 miles. Ten minutes later, the alert went city-wide.

In total, Citizen alerted over 700,000 people nationally.

Citizen users live-streaming the event from the scene found tens of thousands of viewers eager to learn more about the situation on the streets, and how best to stay alert, informed, and protected.

By 1:30PM, live-streams on the Citizen App were viewed more than 523,000 times.

Citizen can confirm that the package sent to CNN’s office contained a live explosive device and a suspicious powder. Authorities believe that the attack is linked with other explosive devices that were sent to the Clinton and Obama families earlier in the day.

We’re glad Citizen safety alerts were effective this morning in informing the New York City public of this suspected act of domestic terrorism. Our users are what make this safety network possible. Together, we can Protect the World.